Carter calls on world to choose policies of peace, human rights

ATLANTA — Former President Jimmy Carter said last week that the world is at a “turning point in history” and that governments must choose policies of peace and human rights over war and human suffering.

His remarks opened a forum of human rights workers hosted by The Carter Center in this city. Carter, 91, said military actions, human rights violations and restrictions on freedom have inspired the spread of violent extremist groups.

He said that even the peace-focused mission of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Humans Rights adopted by the U.N. in 1948 “have been abandoned by the world.”

“What is needed now, more than ever, is leadership that steers us away from fear and fosters greater confidence in the inherent goodness and ingenuity of humanity,” Carter said.

Global leaders must decrease the use of “state-sanctioned violence,” from drone attacks to the development or upgrading of nuclear weapons. The death penalty allows government to use violence as a punishment for crime, he said. Carter also specifically criticized the use of religion and culture to justify violence against women and girls or the exclusion of women from leadership of government or religions.

The group plans to develop a document calling for governments worldwide to recommit to human rights. Carter said he will deliver copies to President Barack Obama, congressional leaders and presidential candidates.

He said the Obama administration’s landmark nuclear deal with Iran and normalized relations with Cuba are “hopeful examples” to celebrate.

“The United States is a world superpower, and we’re likely to maintain the strongest military and also an influential culture as well as one of the dominant economies,” Carter said. “My prayer is that we also … become the undisputed champion of peace.”